Technical Abstract:
US 71655-014 is a fire blight resistant pear selection developed at the USDA Appalachian Fruit Research Station in Kearneysville, West Virginia. In an earlier, un-replicated trail in Oregon, it was determined that US 71655-014 had several positive attributes including precocity, annual production, attractive fruit appearance, good storability, and consumer acceptance. In 2005, a replicated trial was established in Hood River, Oregon to compare the field performance on US 71655-014 to 'Beurre d'Anjou', the primary winter pear cultivar in the USA. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with ten single-tree replicates on OHxF 97 rootstock. US 71655-014 had higher five-year cumulative yield, yield efficiency, fruit set, and fruit number compared to 'Beurre d'Anlou'. A fruit thinning trial with three crop load treatments was initiated in 2010. Fruit thinning resulted in larger fruit with a corresponding shift in weight-class distribution.